Jasper (12 yr old Mini Schnauzer) is now at peace

Yay so glad to hear that Jasper is Home~~!!!! :) You bet that is a compliment, and well deserved too, you are a very good mom to Jasper and Shelby. :cool:

Gosh, Tina, molly isn't on any cushing meds either and they let me stay too. ;)

Oh, I like the sound of that "the plan". Will be waiting to read it.

Enjoy your Sunday! Life is awesome, Jasper is home. He had an Addisons attack, you caught it, now you will fix it, just like last time and the ALT Will come down. This one might have just taken a toll on his liver, but it Can recover from what I've read.

Will check in later,
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Welcome home Jasper! I am so glad that the vomiting has stopped. What a relief!

We are all family Tina. Buddy is gone, but I'm still here. You aren't getting away from us that easy. We will hunt you down with 24 hour angel service and do it relentlessly.;):D There is no escape from the angel brigade! ;)Do not think for a second that you are not one of us. You, Jasper and Shelby are very important family members and we love and worry about all of you.

I am so relieved that he's home. Xxxxx

OH, this just made my day to hear that Jasper is home where he belongs! :cool::):cool::):cool: No question he is in the best possible hands! Take care of your sweet boy, get some rest and we will be here when you feel more like talking. I know you're exhausted after Trish keeping you up all night long! :p;)

Made my day too, Tina:):):)

so glad Jasper is home

That's great news! Addison's is so scary!

Hi Tina,
So sorry you & Jasper have been going thru such a hard time the last couple days. But, sounds like I logged on to the forum just in time to read good news. SO glad you have him back home. Hope this is the beginning of better days for your little guy.

I'm also just catching up on the latest.. wow you have been one busy mom. Talk about some stress. As you say it is all so delicate and getting that balance just right. Again I commend both you and your vet. I do hope you got some sleep today! Jasper too.

Addisonian dogs are allowed because they were once cush dogs and it is a lesson for everyone treating a cush dog. Actually we don't kick anyone off but we are able to help some more than others. ;) My Annie was misdiagnosed and I had her thread changed multiple times between the cushings forum and the everything else forum... so I understand but trust me you and Jasper are family to us. Sending hugs, Kim

So glad to hear that Jasper is home and surrounded by all of your love. And I agree with everyone else, You and sweet Jasper are family. ;)

Sending huge, loving, and healing hugs, Lori

Tina,
Just back from my usual Sunday, taking care of my mother..I had to quickly sign on and see how Jasper is doing. I am SO happy to read he got to come home today!! YAY JASPER!! :D
I know what a relief it is to get your pup out of the vets.
He is probably having a good day of napping now that he is back at home and all cleaned up.
Hoping he continues to make a good recovery after these last few miserable days! :p

Barbara

Was up early this morning to check on you. What a great way to start the week, knowing Jasper is feeling better and at home.

Hope the rest of the day went well for you guys and Jasper is continuing to improve! Wonder if you have the day off today to keep an eye on him or if you are back at work whatever you have planned I have fingers crossed for a good report later! I am having an early night so might see you tomorrow or later in the week :D xx

Checking in for Monday
Wasnt sure if you were going to work or not.
Hugs and kisses to little boy:):):):)

Thanks everyone for checking on us! Jasper is hanging in there. I got him to eat 3 small meals of rice/hamburger yesterday, and he kept it all down, along with meds. This morning I gave him a regular portion of the mixture and so far so good. My vet said I could mix in his kibble if he will eat it, but I think I will try that tonight when I can be home to monitor. He is still pretty mopey this morning.

I meant to post more later yesterday but I was pretty tired, and there was lots to do around here. Jasper did sleep almost all day, which I expected. Such a relief to see him resting comfortably, and that food and meds are staying down. Sorry I missed you Trish, we had an earlier than usual pit stop last night because he isn't drinking as much right now!

I do have to work today but have permission to come in a couple of hours late. So that is better than nothing! I will check in tonight after work.

Love and hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo

Hi Tina,
So happy to hear Jasper is getting all straightened out. It's good that he's sleeping and letting his body recover, that rest is what he needs. I bet he'll be more himself really soon! Poor little mopey guy...he really had a tough couple of days and nights! You too!!
Glad to hear you can spend a couple extra hours at home with him this morning, but if he's keeping his food then things are definitely headed in the right direction! :D

Looking forward to hearing an update later on. I bet Shelby will be keeping a close eye on him while you're at work! :D

Barbara

Food and rest in his own spaces are just what he needs along with his mom's TLC. ;)

It is days like these we need a doggie cam:)
But then we would be at work watching the doggie cam instead of working and probably lose our jobs;);)

Hugs coming at you for Monday!!!!!

Doggie Cams!!! Great idea. :) How to go to work and still keep an eye on jasper, all in one easy remote viewing option. There must be software that can do a live feed, along with a web cam. hmmm

Food for though there.
hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin

I do know someone that set one up. Just google home web cam and you will find many. Also apps available to watch via your smart phone :D Most electronic stores carry them and probably get a good price at Amazon.

Note: but you do have to be careful of hackers peeking in. So a good software and security is a must.

Checking in on you and Jasper. :) Hope you are able to get some sleep at night with all of this going on and work during the day.

hugs,
sharlene and molly muffin

Sending tons of love and healing energy to you, Jasper and Shelby. Take care of you too. ;):) xxxxx

I have a friend who set up a doggy cam and actually can access it from work and her iPhone :)

Hi Tina!!

I see you posting :) Waiting here patiently for a Jasper update, hope its a good one and he is continuing to pick up and hear the latest xx

You guys, I have often thought that I would like to have a doggie cam!!! Seriously, I have just never taken the time to investigate what all would be involved with getting it set up. Maybe I will do some checking. Yes John, I would be paranoid about hackers, so would need to check into that carefully. Well that will need to be a consideration for the future because my funds are stretched to the max at this point!!! :o And Addy, you are right, I would probably be looking at the webcam all day and get fired. Then how would these mounting vet bills get paid?!! :rolleyes: :p

Jasper seems like he is continuing to stabilize from this latest crisis. I am advancing his diet to include more of his prescription diet kibble, and so far so good. The biggest challenge is working out a schedule for all his meds now. I swear, I need an app for that!! :eek:

I need to post a complete update including his treatment and ongoing plan, I am hoping to do that tonight when I have more time, there is a lot to it. But I wanted to check in to let you know that my boy is holding his own at the present time (said in a whisper).

I am up way early because I have to go in to work early. So I am hoping that maybe I won't have to stay so late tonight. It is tough working such long hours, especially now with all that is going on with Jasper. Thanks for checking on us!

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper

So pleased to hear he is holding his own Tina!! Good Boy Jasper!

I like the sound of these doggy cams too. Would be very reassuring if you could do a quick look to see what he is up to during the day. Better yet, we could set it up to stream in a thread here and all the aunties who pop in and out could also do a quick check when they log in here and let you know if anything was concerning! I think we would be fairly close to 24hr cover... hmm maybe a business opportunity for someone :D :D

Very interested to hear his plan so will be back tonight to see how your day has gone, hope work speeds by xx

Hi Tina,
Couldn't be happier to hear that Jasper continues to do well!! Good boy Jasper! :p
The doggie cam could be quite a distraction. I think when we're not at home it's snooze time for the pups. At least that's what I tell myself when I leave Trixie. ;)

Barbara:)

So glad to hear that Jasper continues to do well.

Yea, those long days are rough when you have worries at home.

You're doing great though.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

You go Jasper! Great news!

Hi Tina,
So relieved and thrilled to her that Jasper has continued to improve.:p:) It is very hard leaving them when they're not feeling well. I dealt with that every day with Buddy for the last several months before he passed. I would rush to work and then rush home to be with him. I didn't do much else. I do understand how hard it is, but I wouldn't replace that time with him for anything. I am sure that you feel the same way about your sweet Jasper.

As far as a doggy cam, I could never do it because I wouldn't get anything else done. Plus the district monitors web usage. I would be sitting there in my math groups presenting a lesson while staring at Rosie on the WebCam. It wouldn't have worked too well. It would have been reassuring to have had one for Buddy though. I wouldn't have worried about him nearly as much if I could see that he was okay on the doggy cam.

Sending you tons of love and healing energy for your boy, xxxxx

YAY Jasper !!!!!

Hi Tina
Hopefully the week is winding down for you and I bet you are looking forward to spending more time with Jasper and Shelby. Hopefully he has continued to pick up the last couple of days and you are both getting some good nights sleep :D:D Hopefully will catch up over the weekend xxx

Hi Everyone,
Well I have been trying to get an update together about all that is going on with Jasper, and things keep happening that I have to add. :(

So the report from last weekend when Jasper was hospitalized I feel shows that he had a bit of an Addison's crisis again. I don't have any of the lab reports yet, but from what I wrote in my notes, here is what my vet said verbally:

• The CBC was WNL but showed that he was a little dehydrated
• The chemistry panel showed that the kidney values were ok. But I wrote that she said the BUN was 30, and when I look at the normal range from one of my other reports, it lists the normal range as 10-28 mg/dL so that would be a little high according to that. Also, on his last chem panel, the BUN was 8, so that is quite an increase. Maybe that is due to dehydration? I will have to ask her about that. She did say the creatinine was WNL. So, I will be anxious to get the actual lab report to see what's what. It was run on the in house lab, so maybe the reference ranges are different than what I have here at home.
• Sodium was low at 123, this was confirmed by a secondary test that showed it as 120 (138-154 mmol/L) :eek:
• Potassium high normal at 5.2
• ALP higher than 2400 (the machine in the office only goes up to 2400) - this is significantly higher than on the last check where it was 1719 (<95 IU/L)
• ALT high at 1280. This was 66 on the last check which was normal (<100). I think one time in the past this has shown a mild elevation, but it has been WNL for the most part.

He was given subq fluids, injectable anti nausea medication, injectable dexamethasone, antibiotic injection. He also got an injection of Percorten to help stabilize the electrolytes. (I am forcing myself to not think about how many jabs that is, in addition to the blood draws :eek: ). I know it was all more than necessary so I just have to put it out of my mind.

So other than the Addison's getting out of control again, my vet's main concern seemed to be the big elevation in the ALT. She said this is usually due to an acute insult to the liver. We talked about this, and I know Jasper could not have gotten in to anything toxic, I am with him all the time when he is outside, I monitor everything. Other than when I am at work, he is not out of my sight. While I am working he is barricaded in the kitchen, and there is nothing in there for him to get into. She is feeling that the increased ALT is most likely caused by an inflamed pancreas. There can be other causes such as bacterial hepatitis or a tumor, both of which she feels are less likely. She did say she is not sure what is causing what. That makes me a little nervous. She mentioned that we may need to get an ultrasound of the liver if the values don't go back down quickly with treatment. I am thinking positive that the treatment will be effective.

So here is the treatment and plan:

• Cerenia 24 mg once daily x 3 days (finished 9/10)
• Amoxicillin 250 mg twice a day x 10 days
• Zeniquin 25 mg 1 1/2 tabs once daily x 10 days (my vet said the Amoxicillin and Zeniquin are the combination of choice for liver inflammation/infections)
• Dexamethasone 0.5 mg 1/4 tab daily (usually he gets this every other day so this is a temporary boost)
• Start Denamarin 225/24mg one tab daily x 30 days
• Resume Enalapril 5 mg 1/2 tab twice a day
• Resume Welactin 1/2 spoonful with food twice a day
• Percorten injection (not sure what the dose will be now, but I imagine he will be back on this every 26 days)
• Feed hamburger/rice mixture and transition back to Royal Canin Renal MP diet as tolerated
• Recheck liver profile in 7-10 days (appt on 9/16)
• Consult again with our IMS in town, including discussing possible prolonged action of Percorten since Jasper's electrolytes have stayed WNL for an extended period of time after we discontinued the monthly injections.

Current report:

He had been doing pretty well since being hospitalized. He was eating, keeping meds down, finally had a small formed poop after 3 days with no poop :eek: (Guess he was pretty cleaned out from all the vomiting and diarrhea). I had been slowly advancing his food to get him back on his prescription renal kibble. I had it down to mixing in only 1/4 cup of the hamburger/rice mixture, and then Friday morning 9/13 he acted like he didn't want to eat. I managed to get him to eat most of it so I could get his meds down him, but it was a struggle.

Well Friday night, he wouldn't eat any kibble at all, even out of my hand or with rice mixed in. So I put him back on full hamburger and rice. I have to get him to eat something so he can take his meds. I don't want him to miss a dose of either of the antibiotics. So that is what he has been getting all weekend. I have been sneaking in about 1/4 cup of his kibble, which he manages to eat around and leaves about half the kibble in the bowl. Sometimes he will go back and finish it later. So he is not keen on getting back on his food. I will talk to my vet about that tomorrow. I am not sure that he will ever want to eat it again. It seems like it doesn't appeal to him anymore. I don't understand that because he was eating it just fine before.

I will ask my vet about trying the canned version. He has to be on a kidney diet, so there aren't a lot of options. So frustrating! But I am thankful that he will eat the rice and hamburger, at least he will eat that. He still seems a bit mopey and low energy, and is very short tempered with his sister. Hopefully that will all continue to improve. I keep wondering if his poor appetite and low energy are related to his liver issues now. So hard to know for sure.

So that is where we are at. We will see the vet tomorrow after work. I have to get my list of questions/concerns together, and also need to remember to get copies of all the most recent labwork. The bill from everything last weekend is still pending. :eek: I have dusted off my Care Credit card so it will be ready for tomorrow. :rolleyes:

Thank you everyone for the ongoing support and good wishes. It took me a while to get all of a this information together, thanks for checking back on my boy. It sure helps to get all of it in a post so now it will be easy to reference for the future. As always, any feedback or suggestions are most welcome. Thanks for reading, I know this is so long. :o

Love and hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo 💜

So, a couple of concerns, the ALT/ALKP and BUN. You might have to recheck that a couple times as it always seems to take longer for liver issues to come down than it takes for them to go. But if they are making a move in the right direction on 09/16, then it is possible that it might have been an bit of an Addison crisis, but possibly brought on by a pancrease bout.

Jasper might associate his kibble with his feeling so sick. Baby steps on that one and maybe a bit of the canned till you can get him back on the kibble. Do you have can kidney diet at home? If not maybe pick up one can or two, and trying blending that in with the hamburger/rice.

You know we say it all the time, but really does feel better to Have a plan. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Hi Tina,
Sounds like Jasper is getting back on track. Is he still saying no to his kibble? I hope he's been feeling better each day and getting his schnauzer spunk back. :)

Barbara

Hi Tina,

You might try soaking the kibble before adding it to the hamburger mix so he can't pick it out, plus help get him used to the taste again. He may simply not want that taste compared to that good burger. ;) If he sticks with the hamburger and rice, you may want to add either a good canine vitamin/mineral or something like NutriCal so he is getting more of a balanced diet.

Let us know what the vet had to say and if the plan has changed....and certainly how our sweet boy is doing.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to check in real quick. I have had a tough week with Jasper. Lots of trouble getting him to eat, and labwork from Monday 9/16 was not as good as we had hoped. The ALT had shown some improvement, but was still way elevated. His electrolytes were still way out of whack. Sodium was still critically low and now the potassium was elevated. :eek: :( I will post values later. I ran him in on Tues 9/17 for another Percorten injection. He is still very subdued and mopey but I was able to get him to eat some of his kibble last night and this morning. He is just not bouncing back very quickly. Hoping we are turning the corner now. Thanks for checking in on us, I will post more tonight.

Love and hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo

Tina, Still following your story and sending out strength, love and prayers friend. Kim

Tina,
sorry ya'll have had a rough week. Keep us posted on Jasper. I hope he continues to gain his strength & you have a good weekend.

You so did not need another rough week. I hope Jasper starts to feel better soon and those electrolytes can be stabilized real soon too. I think if those get better, then other things will start to fall into place too. He's just going to be feeling really yuck with those out of sync. :(

Here's hoping for a really, really good weekend!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

i have found putting kibble in blender, it will turn to near powder, consistency of sugar. mix that in with the hamburger and rice. No way it can be picked out. and if you add water to the ground kibble its like canned food. Excellent hydration too.

Sending love to you both, and hoping Jasper feels better real soon.